South Carolina Visits Arkansas in College Football

On any other weekend, this would be the highlight matchup of the first week of November-a game between two Top 10 teams with one loss but trying to stay in the hunt in their conference and be an attractive option for a major bowl game come late December or early January.

However, this is LSU-Alabama week, so a game between seventh-ranked Arkansas and ninth-ranked South Carolina in Fayetteville is left to page two of most previews. Expect this game to be as entertaining as that other Top 10 matchup in Tuscaloosa-but maybe for different reasons.

Arkansas won last year's meeting in Columbia 41-20 and has won four of the last meetings overall and 12 of 19 all-time meetings.

With Arkansas hosting South Carolina this week, the odds list the home team as a 4.5-point favorite, while the total is set for 52 points.

South Carolina Gamecocks

The Gamecocks are 4-0 on the road this year, including last week's 14-3 victory at Tennessee. The squad has allowed just 18 points in the last three weeks and 37 in the last five contests.

The recent defensive efforts have improved South Carolina to rank 14th nationally in scoring defense (17 points per game) while allowing 255 total yards per contest (136 passing, 130 rushing). The unit has compiled 16 sacks while forcing 26 turnovers (more than three per game).

Antonio Allen leads this defensive unit with 62 tackles, three interceptions, three forced fumbles and three recoveries. Melvin Ingram and Jadeveon Clowney have 10.5 sacks between them. Stephon Gilmore, D.J. Swearinger and C.C. Whitlock have three interceptions each, while Clowney has four forced fumbles. The defense has four TDs (three fumble returns, one interception).

The Gamecock offense, while not spectacular (being held to 14 points or fewer three times in the last four games), does average 30 points and 388 total yards per contest (202 rushing, 186 passing). Marcus Lattimore keys this offense on the ground with 818 yards and 10 touchdowns (five yards per carry), though he missed last week's game and Brandon Wilds rushed for 137 yards in his stead vs. Tennessee.

Connor Shaw led the team with a 10-of-18 passing effort for 87 yards last week and has completed 62 percent of his passes for 582 yards and six TDs with three interceptions. The offensive line has allowed 16 sacks. Alshon Jeffery has caught 33 passes for 468 yards and five TDs to lead the receiving corps, though six different players have 11 or more receptions.

Arkansas Razorbacks

The Razorbacks won their fourth straight game last week, rallying with 11 points in the fourth quarter to pull out a 31-28 win at Vanderbilt. Arkansas is 5-0 at home this season, including two wins over ranked opponents (Texas A&M, Auburn) in consecutive weeks in their last two home games Oct. 1 and 8.

Under Bobby Petrino, the Razorbacks are one of the more potent offenses in the country, averaging 37 points and 453 total yards per game (321 passing, 132 rushing). Tyler Wilson keys the attack by completing 63 percent of his passes for 2,327 yards and 13 touchdowns with three interceptions. His offensive line, however, has allowed 17 sacks.

Jarius Wright and Joe Adams are Wilson't top targets, combining for 81 catches for 1,162 yards and eight TDs. Dennis Johnson and Ronnie Wingo Jr. lead the rushing attack with 645 yards and three TDs (5.2 yards per carry).

The Arkansas defense allows 22 points and 396 yards per game (208 passing, 188 rushing), recording 11 sacks and forcing 11 turnovers. Jerry Fanklin leads the unit with 68 tackles and a 94-yard fumble return for a TD. Ross Rasner, Jake Bequette and Alonzo Highsmith each have two sacks, while Eric Bennett and Tramain Thomas each have three interceptions.

Joe Adams averages 16 points per punt return and has two returns for TDs, while Marquel Wade averages nearly 30 yards per kickoff return and has one return for a TD.

The Fifa 2010 World Cup is to be held in South Africa which is the first time the tournament has been staged there and with England proving to be a big threat it's going to be a great event. Read this article to find out more.

In NCAA football, if you beat a team by four or five touchdowns it's called a blowout. That's exactly what happened when Georgia Tech took the field against Cumberland in 1916. Georgia Tech ran wild and turned in the most lopsided victory in college football history.